Thanks to the Sustainable Cities Challenge Venice, an ambitious initiative launched by the Toyota Mobility Foundation in partnership with Challenge Works and the World Resources Institute, the lagoon city joins Varanasi in India and Detroit in the United States in meeting the common challenge of radically transforming urban mobility.
Sustainable Cities Challenge Venice: An ambitious project for a sustainable future
The Sustainable Cities Challenge is designed to catalyze innovative solutions that can reduce carbon emissions to zero in the three cities involved.
In Venice, the focus is on promoting low- or zero-emission transportation within a unique city with its unique intersection of canals, bridges and islands.
The project includes significant funding: each city will receive $3 million to implement the most promising solutions.
Venice has already taken significant steps toward sustainability, with more than 180 kilometers of bike lanes, the introduction of a hybrid car sharing service, and the upcoming acquisition of zero-emission buses and water buses.
Mobility in Venice: Challenges and opportunities
Venice faces unique challenges: from water management to the need to preserve the historic environment.
However, the city is determined to modernize its transportation system without compromising its unique identity.
The introduction of electric buses, hybrid water buses, and even hydrogen buses are crucial steps toward a greener, more sustainable future.
The 2023 Audimob report revealed that there is still a high preference for private vehicles despite the available green alternatives.
To address this challenge, the Sustainable Cities Challenge invites global innovators to come up with solutions that will not only revolutionize public transportation in Venice, but also win over residents with practical, convenient and sustainable options.
Sustainable Cities Challenge Venice: The path to green
The challenge is structured in three selection phases: from the submission of initial proposals, to the selection of the best projects for development and refinement, to the awarding of the final winners in December 2025.
This approach not only encourages innovation, but ensures that solutions are tailored to the specific needs of Venice and its residents.
Paola Ravenna, Director of Research Funding Sources and Community Policies of the City of Venice, stresses the importance of finding practical and culturally appropriate solutions to encourage the use of sustainable means of transportation.
The involvement of international innovators is seen as a valuable resource to enrich the discussion and bring fresh ideas to the city.
Sustainable Cities Challenge Venice: A global movement for sustainable mobility
The Sustainable Cities Challenge aims not only to transform the three selected cities, but also to create a model that can be adopted in other metropolises around the world.
The inclusive, data-driven approach is key to ensuring that the solutions developed are not only effective, but can be adapted and replicated elsewhere, contributing to a global movement toward sustainable urban mobility.
Sustainable Cities Challenge Venice: leader of innovation mobility
Venice is preparing to play a leadership role in promoting green and innovative urban mobility.
With the Sustainable Cities Challenge, the lagoon city not only reinforces its commitment to a sustainable future, but also opens the door to global innovation, demonstrating that historic beauty can coexist with ecological modernity.